Substantial food and medical aid has finally begun reaching the desperate survivors of last week's super typhoon in the Philippines.

The unprecedented ferocity of Typhoon Haiyan and the scale of destruction had completely overwhelmed the initial relief effort, leaving millions in the worst-hit islands of Leyte and Samar hurt, homeless and hungry, with no power or water.

There have also been reports of rape, looting and food ransacking in the disaster zone, with non-government organisations (NGOs) urging a restoration of law and order.

A working aid pipeline is now in place to funnel emergency supplies to those left destitute in the ruins of Leyte's Tacloban city.

"The place really needs to be saturated with relief," Red Cross spokesman Patrick Fuller said.

"People literally have nothing. Money is useless here."

UN agencies say more than 170,000 people have received rice rations or food packets.

Providing basic medical care also remains a top priority, with initial assessments showing half of the 38 medical facilities in the impacted region had been wiped out.

The Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) say they will have mobile surgical units up and running in Tacloban by the end of the weekend.

The diplomacy of aid

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says providing aid to these communities poses an "exceedingly complicated" challenge.

"Because of the geography of the Philippines - an archipelago of many islands - and the fact that so many have been hit by the typhoon, it is essentially like mounting at least seven separate, simultaneous relief efforts," WHO spokesperson Julie Hall said.

"This multiplies the logistical challenges associated with the response."

The Australian Defence Force is deploying more than 200 personnel to the disaster zone.

Australia will set up purification and desalination units to give people access to clean water.

The machines can produce hundreds of thousands of litres of drinkable water every hour.

Australia is also sending road clearing equipment to get to the worst affected areas and medical teams to help local authorities.

Second Australian found dead

Meanwhile, a second Australian has been found dead in the Philippines.

The Federal Government confirmed an 86-year-old Australian woman died in the typhoon.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to her family.

Kevin Lee, a 49-year-old former priest, also died in the typhoon.

Reports of rape in lawless disaster zone

A women's rights organisation in the Philippines has issued an urgent warning about reports of rape amid the lawlessness in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.

The Gabriela Alliance of Flipino Women says it is seriously alarmed by reports of rape in Tacloban.

The NGO has blamed this on a near total lack of law and order protection in many parts of the disaster zone.

The group's spokesman, John Salvador, has deplored the absence of government authority.

In an official statement the group said the destruction, hunger, misery and lack of immediate appropriate government support have pushed many people to commit acts of desperation, such as food ransacking and the looting of the dead.

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